


Briar Rose

by rauviel



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/F, Sleeping Beauty - Freeform, Storywatch, Zine piece
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 03:09:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16735959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rauviel/pseuds/rauviel
Summary: The prince carefully approached the briar which blocked her path, a seemingly endless tangle that protected the kingdom within. The thicket towered up to ten times her height and there seemed to be no end to which it encircled the castle.





	Briar Rose

**Author's Note:**

> Tracer & Emily Sleeping Beauty AU I wrote to accompany my art in the Storywatch Artbook!   
> You can find me @rauviel on Twitter/Tumblr.

The prince carefully approached the briar which blocked her path, a seemingly endless tangle that protected the kingdom within. The thicket towered up to ten times her height and there seemed to be no end to which it encircled the castle. Thorns and roses sprung from every direction, sharp and threatening, with a promise of certain death to anyone who dared to step through.

Determined, the prince drew her divine sword and slashed through the brush over and over. With every swing of her sword she thought about the dormant princess and her loving court who lay in wait for the prophesized hero to rouse their endless dreams. The prince had heard countless stories and felt something calling within, telling her that this was what she had been destined for.

These stories spoke of a kingdom whose citizens slumbered for a century. It was a tale of a forgotten and resentful fairy, who in turn, cursed this kingdom to be forgotten. The curse instilled fear, and death into those who attempted to break it, until one day, the neighbouring lands had given up trying to awaken this once beloved kingdom for good. No one had approached the castle in decades, or lived to tell the tale if they had.

The prince immediately understood why the curse had never been broken. Every vine she severed grew back as if it had never been cut, and grew twice as thick. Exasperated, the prince touched the bright blue gem affixed to her tunic, a habit she grew accustomed to when she was at her wits end. The simple motion had set her at ease in times of peril, but had never shown any signs of being inherently magical, despite the gemstone's origins. She too had been maliciously cursed as a child.

The sparkling blue gem the Grand Fairy Athena had bestowed upon her was the only thing that prevented the curse from taking her life. She and the gem were one entity and could not be separated, or she would disappear from this world. 

The prince was taken off guard when her gem started glowing brightly. Twelve twinkling lights escaped from its centre and danced around her. The lights grew in size and took on the form of a dozen small flitting fairies. The fae gazed at her lovingly, as if they had been waiting for this moment for a long time. One by one, each of them gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before fusing with her divine sword. The blade now held twelve glinting gemstones that sparkled as if they were stars hand plucked from the sky. 

The prince closed her eyes and held the sword close to her chest. She could feel a quiet humming that resonated with her heartbeat. She felt a surge of life course through her and all at once, the prince knew what she was meant to do. She raised her sword and sliced through the briar once more. What lay ahead of her was a clear path to the kingdom, and no longer did the magical thicket grow back.

 

 


End file.
